Background on the wound market

The wound care market is currently divided into 3 segments, basic wound care, advanced wound care and active wound care. The 2006 global market for wound care was estimated to represent ~$12billion and this is expected to grow to ~$16 billion by 2011 . The active wound care products are similar to the advanced wound care products but, in addition to preventing infection these products also promote healing. Currently this market is in its infancy and consists of products such as negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) devices, artificial skin substitutes and biological growth factors. Wound repair in adult skin begins with an acute inflammatory phase and ends with the formation of a permanent scar. GRL (in partnership with Sirnaomics) is developing a novel active wound care product that promotes accelerated - yet scarless - wound healing while also providing anti-infective protection to the site of the wound. The product (STP705) is an siRNA cocktail that, when applied topically (as a cream) to full thickness skin wounds, shows an accelerated rate of closure of the wound with a concomitant return of the skin to a normal morphology (including follicle development).

STP705

In an animal model, we have demonstrated that active delivery of a mixture of siRNAs to the site of a wound can result in accelerated wound repair with significantly reduced scar formation.

GRL/Sirnaomics have filed patents related to this combination for therapeutic utility in active wound healing. Furthermore, the company has negotiated an exclusive license to patents on the delivery nanoparticle (HKP) used for siRNA delivery to the wound area. The company aims to partner with other entities with distribution and commercialization capabilities and active programs in the wound healing arena to drive this product towards use in treating human wounds.

The therapeutic product, STP705, consists of (a) a mixture of 2 siRNAs (targeting important molecular targets involved in preventing wound repair), along with (b) the vehicle and formulation required for delivery and uptake directly at the site of the wound. Progression of therapeutic treatment options in wound care are driven by failure of the wound to heal, or by infection within the wound. The siRNAs within the cocktail accelerate the wound repair process without scar formation while the delivery vehicle has been shown to exhibit powerful anti-infective properties in its own right. By promoting rapid, scarless wound healing this treatment will show a significant benefit to wound patients and to society by reducing the time a patient experiences issues related to wound injury, reducing time in care and promoting return of the patient to an active and productive lifestyle. The figures below show the results from recent animal studies and clearly indicate the therapeutic value of the treatment. The therapeutic is composed of an siRNA cocktail (two siRNAs – each targeting a distinct molecular target; TGF?1 and Cox2) together with a polymer delivery carrier (HKP).

The products are protected by intellectual property filings: US provisional application (60/985,820) and international patent filing (PCT/US2008/012498).

The HKP delivery vehicle is protected by intellectual property filings licensed exclusively for the therapeutic use in wound repair to GRL/Sirnaomics.